Britain's Presidential Prime Minister

...Only one year has passed since he became Prime Minister of Britain...

...Thus supporting Tony Blair has become a style statement in quarters that were once totally apolitical...

...Some of the Prime Minister's popularity, however, must be credited to William Hague...

...In addition, a recent poll indicated that most Conservatives have a better opinion of him than they do of their own leader, William Hague...

...The persistent and well-founded doubts about whether that agreement will long survive notwithstanding, his efforts and those of his Dublin counterpart, Prime Minister Bertie Ahern, could mean that bloody sectarian strife in Northern Ireland will soon be relegated to history...

...In another miscalculation, the Agriculture Ministry practically invited Britons to break the law by prohibiting the sale of beef on the bone because of questionable scientific findings, when it would have been wiser to merely advise the public of the problem that existed...

...Consistent with its claim to be the wave of the future, the Blair government has also promoted the marvels of "cool Britannia," a wonderland that glories in the achievements of its chart-topping pop music groups, its internationally acclaimed fashion designers, and its new breed of highly regarded chefs—who no longer dish out beans-on-toast for breakfast, lunch and dinner...

...Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition now alternates between being invisible and incompetent," laments the Right-leaning Spectator magazine...

...He has begun the process of granting Scotland and Wales a large measure of self-government, though the Welsh, unlike the Scots, do not seem to care too much...

...Futile howls of protest rose from the Tories, and murmured criticism was heard from some Labor parliamentarians, when it was disclosed that Campbell had presumed to inform two ministers that he did not approve of statements they had made...

...Yet as Napoleon's mother (or mother-in-law, take your pick) is said to have responded when asked how it felt to have the Emperor of France for a son, "It's all right as long as it lasts...

...No less impressive is the fact that the Labor government has for the most part managed to carry out its ambitious program within the budgetary restraints imposed by the departing Tories...

...Indeed, some Left-wing Laborites have displayed greater energy in challenging the Prime Minister...

...People inclined to be charitable see him and Campbell simply engaging in the unseemly power plays of underlings...

...He further requested that they consult with him about articles or public speeches they were planning...

...As promised, it has pumped substantial extra funds into education from nursery school up, introduced minimum wage legislation, and provided additional money for the underfunded National Health Service (although that has not yet served to cut lengthy hospital waiting lists for nonacute surgery...

...Even the irrepressibly Tory London Daily Telegraph, despite its constant probing for prime ministerial gaffes and shortcomings, has felt compelled to concede "it would be premature to label this government a bad one...

...Norman Gelb reports regularly for The New Leader on British affairs...

...For example, the storm set off by his cutting financial support for single mothers could have been preempted by stressing simultaneously the mitigating aspects of other planned programs...

...Even during the reign of the domineering Margaret Thatcher, ministers tended to run their own departments with little interference from Number 10 Downing Street...

...But during that time he has transformed the Labor Party, changed the face of British politics, and vastly enhanced this country's image worldwide...

...This time around, the humbled ministers did not receive so much as an apology, just an explanation that Campbell was merely expressing the Prime Minister's wishes...

...The most serious criticism leveled against Blair has nothing to do with ideology...

...Some two decades ago, Tory Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher abolished the Greater London Council in a fit of pique against what was then its "loony Left" leadership...

...Not everything, of course, is as controllable as government blunders...

...It does not want to be panicked or derailed by inflationary pressures, as have previous Labor occupants of Whitehall...

...Instead, with his complete command of the House of Commons, he has become more presidential, to the despair of traditionalists and those worried that he is assuming too much power...

...City of London forecasters, for instance, are cautioning that the Prime Minister may have to weather some economic storms in the not-too-distant future...

...But having been disavowed by most of their peers, they tend to seem antediluvian and cranky...

...Moreover, they have employed it in a manner some consider shameful...

...Certainly Tony Blair can take comfort from how well things have been working out for Labor so far...

...In the future, he told them, Cabinet ministers were not to say anything in the House of Commons without submitting full texts to him 48 hours in advance...

...AFTER THE FIRST YEAR Britain's Presidential Prime Minister By Norman Gelb London Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is arguably the most remarkable political figure in the Western world today...

...In past Labor governments such proud figures as Denis Healey and Roy Jenkins would have demanded the upstart's head on a plate—and gotten it...

...Coming after 18 consecutive years of Tory rule, the Labor government's record of achievement in just 12 months is impressive...

...Others suggest that Blair's tactics are inspired by the futuristic fictional creation of a writer whose surname he shares, Eric Arthur Blair, better known as George Orwell...

...Mandelson has been accused of being even worse about policing Cabinet ministers and senior civil servants as they do their jobs...

...He has also prepared the way for Londoners to again elect a city government for themselves...

...He knows that historically the Labor Party has shown itself to have a penchant for giving the impression of confusion and incompetence at critical moments, and for often fierce internal dissension...

...Most dramatically, Blair helped to create the climate that was essential for negotiating the Ulster peace agreement...

...Tony Blair's public approval rating stands at a remarkable 72 per cent as I write —higher than it was last May when Labor's massive electoral takeover of Parliament swept him into office...

...As Prime Minister he is, or should be, "first among equals" — that is, among Cabinet ministers...

...During the last several months, authority in Westminster has been gathered tightly in the hands of Blair's closest advisers and senior operatives...

...It concerns, rather, how he has chosen to manage Britain's government...

...It has also banned the possession of handguns, launched a massive program for dealing with unemployment, increased support for the poorest pensioners, and laid the groundwork for fundamental reforms of the welfare state that are designed to make current recipients of government handouts more capable of fending for themselves...

...They are scornful of his search for a "third way" in politics that is remote from the socialist doctrines they insist their party is obliged to remain committed to...

...Blair has also learned the hard way that since, like himself, not one of his Cabinet ministers has been in the government before, sheer inexperience can produce avoidable public outrage...

...But there probably is a less ominous explanation for the Prime Minister's micromanagement...

...Currently, Minister Without Portfolio Peter Mandelson, who was Blair's campaign manager, and Press Secretary Alistair Campbell appear to be in charge of controlling the government and all of its departments...

...The still more Right-wing Daily Express admires Blair's "natural geniality" and "passionate desire to be a force for good...

...And he is determined to prevent this self-destructive impulse from depriving Labor of the second term he feels is vital if he is to stand a chance of turning Britain into the leading world power it once was...

...It seems clear that he is already looking down the road to the next general election...

...The Conservative Party leader, whose job it is to insist the emperor is naked, whether he is or not, has proved astonishingly ineffective so far...

...This is not the case now...

...By setting the corporation tax at a low level and providing support for small business, it has encouraged the maintenance of an enterprise environment and nurtured what it believes to be the essential support of the business community...

...It is impossible to imagine any previous press secretary issuing orders of that sort...

...Blair's bold innovations extend to initiating major constitutional changes for the United Kingdom...

...This could show whether his popularity is based primarily on the good times Britain is enjoying...